Suspended rolling dolly for use on a building roof parapet



Jan. 27, 1970 H. DUTCHER SUSPENDED ROLLING DOLLY FOR USE ON A BUILDING ROOF PARAPET Filed Sept. 4, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet l lNVENTOk. Haffhea/ E .Dufcber BY W21 i yflw ATTORNEYS Janf27, 1-970 H. D'UTCHER SUSPENDED ROLLING DOLLY FOR USE ON A BUILDING ROOF PARAPET 2 Sheets-Shem. 2.

Filed Sept. 4, 1968 wu m. 7/? a INVENTOR. Huff/real Ii-Dafcher A TroR/vErs 3,491,851 SUSPENDED ROLLING DOLLY FOR USE ON A BUILDING ROOF PARAPET Matthew H. Dutcher, 936 43rd Ave. NE., Minneapolis, Minn. 55421 Filed Sept. 4, 1968, Ser. No. 757,333 Int. Cl. E04g 3/16 US. Cl. 182-36 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rolling dolly for supporting a sling or platform for movements along a building wall, having a wheel mounted horizontal beam for rolling engagement with the top surface of a roof parapet, a supporting frame depending from one end of the beam for attachment to a sling or platform, and a brace member depending from the beam in spaced relation to the support frame. The brace member is adjustable longitudinally of the beam, and wheel means, on the support frame and brace member, have rolling engagement with adjacent sides of the roof parapet.

In the cleaning, painting, tuck pointing or other maintenance operations on exteriors of ofiice buildings, warehouses and similar structures, it is customary to suspend slings or platforms from the building roof parapets to support the workers and their equipment. Usually, the slings or platforms are suspended by elevating cables or block and tackle, secured to the roof parapets by hooks or like anchoring means. Lateral shifting of the anchoring hooks, with the weight of the apparatus carried thereby is difficult and often unsafe, and usually requires the worker or workers to dismount from the apparatus during the shifting thereof.

An important object of this invention is the provision of a dolly for supporting a sling or platform, which dolly can be quickly and easily shifted horizontally along a building wall without the necessity for a worker to leave the suspended apparatus.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a dolly as set forth, which can be quickly and easily adjusted to fit roof parapets of different thicknesses.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a rolling dolly having an arrangement of supporting wheels or rolls, whereby, relatively smooth movement over joints or uneven surface portions of a parapet is obtained.

To the above ends, I provide a dolly comprising a rigid beam adapted to extend transversely over a roof parapet and having a pair of rows of wheels for rolling engagement with the top surface of the parapet longitudinally thereof, the axes of the wheels of one row being staggered with respect to those of the wheels of the other row. A rigid support frame for a sling or platform is rigidly secured to one end of the beam and depends therefrom, the frame having a pair of wheels journalled thereon on laterally spaced vertical axes for rolling engagement with the outer side of the parapet or building wall. A rigid brace member, longitudinally slidably mounted on the beam depends therefrom and journals a roller or wheel on a vertical axis for engagement with United States Patent 3,491,851 Patented Jan. 27, 1970 the adjacent inner surface of the roof parapet, the brace member being adjustable longitudinally of the beam to accommodate parapet walls of different thicknesses. A locking bolt in the brace member extends selectively through a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures in the beam to lock the brace member in desired adjusted positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in front elevation of a building wall and roof parapet, showing the dolly of this invention mounted thereon;

FIG. 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section, as seen from the line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in rear elevation;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view in top plan;

FIG. 5 is a transverse section taken substantially on the line 5--5 of FIG. 4; and

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view in bottom plan of a portion of the dolly of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION In the drawings, the top part of a building structure is indicated generally at 1, having a roof 2 surrounded by a roof parapet 3, the parapet having inner and outer side surfaces 4 and 5 respectively and a generally flat top 6. In many commercial buildings, the roof 2 adjacent the parapet 3 is flat, and the outer side 6a of the building is either flush with or slightly inwardly displaced from the outer side 5 of the parapet 3.

The rolling dolly of this invention, indicated generally at 7, is adapted to be mounted on and supported by the roof parapet 3, and comprises an elongated horizontal beam 8, supporting means 9 depending from one end of the beam 8, and a rigid brace member 10 depending from the beam 8 in spaced relationship to the supporting means 9. As shown, the beam 8 is in the nature of a structural I-beam, and is adapted to extend transversely over the top surface 6 of the roof parapet 3. A rigid horizontal mounting plate 11 underlies the beam 8, and extends transversely thereof, the plate 11 being rigidly secured to the bottom surface of the beam 8 by clamping bars 12 and nut-equipped clamping screws 13 extending through suitable openings in the clamping bars 12 and plate 11 at opposite sides of the beam 8. If desired, the mounting plate 11 may be further secured to the beam 8 by welding or the like. A pair of front supporting wheels 14 are journalled in bearing brackets 15 molded or otherwise rigidly secured to the undersurface of the mounting plate 11, and a pair of aligned rear supporting wheels 16 are similarly journalled in bearing brackets 17 secured to the bottom surface of the plate 11 in like manner. As shown, the wheels 14 and 16 are journalled for rotation on horizontal axes extending parallel to the longitudinal dimension of the beam 8, the wheels 14 and 16 being arranged in front and rear rows of wheels respectively. The wheels 14 and 1-6 are mounted on wheel shafts 18 and 19 respectively, the axes of the shafts 18 being offset from the axes of the shafts 19 in a direction transversely of the beam 8 or in the direction of rolling movement of the wheels 14 and 1-6. The wheels 14 and 16 are adapted to have rolling engagement with the top surface 6 of the parapet 3 to support the dolly 7 for rolling movements longitudinally of the parapet 3. The offset relationship between the wheels 14 and the wheels 16 enables the dolly 7 to more smoothly run over seams or other small obstructions or irregularities in the top surface 6 of the parapet 3, than if the wheels 14 were axially aligned with the wheels 16.

The support means 9 comprises an inverted generally V-shaped frame having a horizontally disposed apex portion 20 in overlying engagement with the top surface of the beam 8 adjacent its front end, and a pair of downwardly diverging side portions 21 that are connected at their lower ends by cross member 22 welded or otherwise rigidly secured at its opposite ends to the lower end portions of the side portions 21. A pair of gussets 23. are welded to the side portions 21 directly below the bottom surface of the beam 8, and the support means 9 is rigidly secured to the front end portion of the beam 8 by a pair of nut-equipped bolts or the like 24. A vertically disposed hanger bar 25 is welded at its upper end to one of the gussets 23 and adjacent its lower end to the cross member 22 generally centrally between the lower ends of the side portions 21. In the embodiment of the invention illustrated, the lower end of the hanger bar 25 is provided with an opening 26 for reception of a snap hook 27 to which is secured hoisting means in the nature of a conventional block and tackle 28. The block and tackle 28 is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 as supporting a workers seat 29 by means of a conventional sling 30. The support means 9 is maintained in predetermined spaced relation to the front or outside surface of the panapet 3 by a pair of thrust wheels 31 journalled on vertical axes in bearing brackets 32 that are rigidly secured, by nut equipped bolts or the like 33 to opposite'end portions of the cross member 22.

The brace member is mounted on the beam 8 rearwardly or inwardly of the mounting plate 11, and comprises an inverted generally U-shaped member having a horizontal generally fiat intermediate portion 34 in overlying engagement with the top surface of the beam 8 and a pair of leg portions 35 extending downwardly from the intermediate portion 34 at opposite sides of the beam 8. The lower ends of the leg portions 35 are formed to provide downwardly diverging portions 36 that are connected by a plate-like cross member 37, the leg portions 35 being further braced by a horizontally disposed plate-like brace member 38 immediately below the beam 8, and a vertically disposed brace member 39 immediately above the diverging end portions 36. The members 38 and 39 are welded to adjacent portions of the leg portions 35. A single thrust wheel 40 is journalled for rotation on a vertical axis in a bearing bracket 41 that is bolted or screwed to the cross member 37.

As above indicated, the brace member 10 is longitudinally slidable on the beam 8, so as to accommodate the dolly 7 of this invention to roof parapets of various transverse dimensions. Rearwardly or inwardly of the mounting plate 9, the beam 8 is provided with a plurality of longitudinally spaced transverse apertures 42 for reception of a nut-equipped anchoring screw 43 that extends through a pair of suitable aligned openings in the upper end portions of the brace member leg portions 35. When the dolly 7 is mounted on a parapet 3, the brace member 10 is initially disposed rearwardly of its position shown in FIGS. 2 and 5. The dolly is placed upon the parapet 3 with the thrust wheels 31 in rolling engagement with the outer surface 5 of the parapet 3, after which the brace member 10 is moved on the beam 8 until the thrust wheel 40 engages the inside surface 4 of the parapet 3. The anchoring screw 43 is then inserted through whichever one of the apertures 42 is aligned with the openings in the leg portions 35, thus securely anchoring the base member 10 to the beam 8.

It will be noted, with reference to FIG. 4 that the thrust wheel 40 engages its adjacent side surface 4 of the parapet 3 intermediate the points of engagement of the thrust wheels 31 with their adjacent outside surface 5 of the parapet 3, whereby to provide a three point ro'lling engagement. It will further be noted that the brace member 10 is considerably shorter than the supporting means 9, so that the thrust wheels 31 engage the outside surface 5 at a level considerably below the level of the thrust wheel 40. This arangement, together with the rigid connections between the support means 9, beam 8 and brace member 10 minimizes outward thrust which might be applied to the brace member 10- and effectively prevent outward or forward tipping of the dolly 7 dhe to the weight of a workman on the seat 29. By using the supporting wheels 14 and 16 and thrust wheels 31 and 40, an operator on the seat 29 may grasp any portion of the outer surface 6a of the building to easily move the dolly 7 and and himself laterally along the building wall. It will be appreciated that, while I have shown the dolly 7 as supporting a single workers seat, the same may be used to support a platform, not shown, but which might accommodate one or more workers. Should the platform be of extreme length, a pair .of dollies 7 may be used, each for supporting a different end of such elongated platform.

What is claimed is:

1. A rolling dolly for a roof parapet having a generally horizontal top surface and generally vertical inner and outer sides, said dolly comprising:

(a) a generally horizontal rigid beam adapted to extend transversely over a roof parapet;

(b) an inverted generally U-shaped frame defining an apex portion secured to the beam adjacent one end of the beam and including a pair of side portions diverging downwardly from said apex portion in a plane transversely of the beam, a cross member connecting the lower ends of said side portions, and a vertical hanger member having its upper end secured to said apex portion and secured adjacent its lower end to said cross member;

(c) a generally vertical rigid brace member depending from said beam in spaced parallel relation to said frame;

((1) means for releasably anchoring said brace member in desired se positions longitudinally of the beam;

(e) a plurality of beam-supporting wheels disposed on horizontal axes extending parallel to the longitudinal dimension of said beam;

(f) means operatively mounting said wheels on said beam for rolling engagement with the top surface of said parapet and longitudinally of the parapet;

(g) a pair of wheels mounted on said cross member for rotation on vertical axes adjacent the lower end of said side portions for rolling engagement with the outer side of the parapet;

(h) and wheel means journalled on the brace member on a vertical axis for rolling engagement with the inner side of the parapet.

2. The rolling dolly defined in claim 1 in which said wheel means comprises a single wheel disposed directly below said beam intermediate the extended axes of said pair of wheels. 9

3. A rolling dolly for a roof parapet having a generally horizontal top surface and generally vertical inner and outer sides, said dolly comprising:

(a) a generally horizontal rigid beam adapted to extend transversely over a roof parapet;

(b) rigid vertical support means secured to and de pending from said beam adjacent one end of the beam;

(c) an inverted generally U-shaped brace member depending from said beam in spaced parallel relation to said support means and having a generally flat portion in overlying engagement with said beam and a pair of leg portions each depending adjacent an opposite side of the beam;

(d) means for releasably anchoring said brace memher in desired set positions longitudinally of the beam;

(e) a plurality of beam-supporting wheels disposed on horizontal axes extending parallel to the longitudinal dimension of said beam;

(f) means operatively mounting said wheels on said 5 beam for rolling engagement with the top surface of said parapet and longitudinally of the parapet;

(g) horizontally disposed wheel means journalled on said support means for rolling engagement with the outer side of the parapet;

(h) a wheel disposed on a vertical axis for rolling engagement with the inner surface of the parapet;

(i) and wheel mounting means connected to the lower ends of said brace member leg portions journalling said last-mentioned wheel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,423,998 7/1922 Camp l8238 3,059,721 10/1962 Straw 182-38 3,124,213 3/1964 Jorsey 182-38 10 REINALDO P. MACHADO, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

